|
|
|
|
|
N
E W S October
10, 2003: Arizona, USA "One who blames the world, and is angry with people, shall receive the fruits of his own actions." - Guru Granth Sahib
Frank Roque, 44, will face death by lethal injection for gunning down Balbir Singh who wore a turban and a beard and apparently mistaken for an Arab. The jury did not buy the Roque's insanity plea, he is taking powerful anti-psychotic drugs. The case will undergo a mandatory appeal. Balbir Singh was the first Sikh killed in the continuing surge in hate crimes since 9/11. Hundreds of hate crimes have been reported to Sikh advocacy groups, including two additional murders of Sikh cab drivers in California.
Guru Roop Kaur who has been following the trial from the beginning said, "There can be no justification for attacking these fellow Americans simply because of their skin colour or religion... We want to commend this Judge, the jury, the attorneys and you, our neighbors, because our legal system has taken the necessary steps towards rooting out those who seek to harm innocent people." Hate crimes and backlash murders continue to be the invisible causalities of September 11th and the war on extremism. Balbir Singh's death was the first crime categorized as a hate crime. After Balbir Singh's death, the President of the United States, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Prime Minister of India, the Justice Department, the US Attorney, the Mayor of Mesa, the Maricopa County Attorney, the Attorney General, the Governor, the police agencies, the Interfaith community, the media, the jury, and the community made public statements of tolerance and acceptance.
Copyright
©The Sikh Sentinel 2003 |
The
family of Balbir Singh was given justice this week when an Arizona jury
convicted Frank Roque of murder in the shooting death hate crime committed
just days after 9/11. After a short deliberation, Roque watched stoically
as the jury came back and recommended the death sentence for the crime.
The media surrounded Balbir Singh's family and Guru Roop Kaur, spokesperson
for the family and the Arizona Sikh community.
Roque
shot at another gas station where the clerk was a man of Lebanese descent,
and at the home of an Afghan family. They were not injured. Roque was
also convicted of attempted first-degree murder, drive-by shooting and
endangerment for the shootings that followed Sodhi's murder
The
guilty verdict and the death sentence have sent a strong message that
hate crimes will not be tolerated in this country.